Strength from Betrayal
by Always Keep the Faith
Summary: Her mate monopolized her son's time. With little to do with her immortal life, she took under her wing a little girl. At first, she cared little for Kagome, but they had the same eyes. Eyes of someone who was betrayed by a loved one.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Takahashi Rumiko created Inuyasha. But you all should already know that if you're here.

A/n: This idea just came to me one night while I was trying to sleep. And so I didn't sleep...

* * *

"Mama! Mama! Hurry up!" A little dark-haired child tugged on a woman's arm towards the white walls of a Japanese castle estate.

"Be patient Kagome." The older woman chided the child.

A man wearing layers of expensive silk chuckled at the pair walking in front of him. "Yeah, Kagome-chan, you act as if the building is going to pick itself up and fly off."

The eager child tripped and face planted on the path leading to the gates. She pushed herself up and started sniffling before breaking out into a wail.

"Hahaue, the tiny human is leaking from her eyes," a boy looking to be the age of 8 or 9 pointed out as he walked alongside a female who practically glided down the stone path. She was an average height of 5'3", but the aura around her made her seem two feet taller. Leading them was a towering form of a man who was the epitome of masculinity.

The two families met at the crying girl.

The tall man with a sword strapped to his waist and back crouched down in front of Kagome. "Oh dear Kagome. That isn't a face you should show anyone." His fingers wiped away the tears under her eyes. "There you go. All cute again. Now give uncle a hug."

Kagome sniffled before throwing herself at the dog general. "Oji-chama!"

"Kagome! Address Inu no Taisho-sama properly!" the human woman scolded.

"It's alright. Kagome is practically family." The demon chuckled as he stood and the little girl hung from his neck.

His mate rolled her eyes before nodding to their old time friends. "I trust your journey was comfortable?"

"Comfortable as it can be. When's the last time I saw you? Four, five moons ago?" Kagome's father said as he clapped Inutaisho on the back in greeting and nodded towards Inukimi.

"Those pesky human politics have been keeping you away. You'd think you lived across the sea instead of on the other side of the mountain range." Inutaisho said as he pried the child's arms off of him and deposited her onto the ground. Little Kagome latched onto her father's leg instead and began sucking her thumb.

"Hahaue, now the human is trying to eat herself," Inutaisho's son observed with tilted head.

Kagome stuck her tongue out at him in response. "Oji-chama! Maru-chwan is being mean again!"

"Sesshoumaru, be nice." Inutaisho threw his son a light glare.

"On the other hand, your wife and daughter have been here so often, you'd think they lived here," commented Inukimi. "Come Kazuo. Let us have tea inside and catch up." In one motion, she flicked her silver tresses behind her and turned to lead everyone inside. Sesshoumaru looked almost bored as he turned to follow his mother. Kagome hopped off her father and half skipped, half ran over to Sesshoumaru. The boy scrunched up his small face in displeasure, or maybe annoyance, as Kagome trailed behind him. Luckily, she fell behind once they had to start climbing stairs.

"Let me go help Kagome-chan before she trips up the stairs." Kazuo pecked his wife on the cheek before catching up to Kagome and scooping up his daughter as they ascended the stairs. A dozen steps behind them, Inutaisho and his wife casually conversed as they followed. The human lord turned around with Kagome on his shoulders to look down at the pair with sparkling eyes. "Meet you at the top slowpokes! Let's go Kagome!" The man ran up the steps with the giggling girl. Once at the top with Inukimi and Sesshoumaru, Kazuo shouted, "You can move faster than that, Inutaisho! Come on, Izayoi!"


	2. Chapter 2

_*Some months later*_

"Inutaisho, my friend, I thought we were going to play a nice game of go. And you have me training your son."

"We are playing a nice game if go." The daiyoukai placed a black stone on the board. "Hm..."

"You are at an unfair advantage. Part of my concentration is elsewhere." Kazuo examined the board before positioning his white stone.

"An impressive priest like you? You wouldn't even break a sweat in the summer keeping a barrier up around a mere pup."

The talked about pup was currently in the garden near the mothers who were having afternoon tea. A transparent shimmering wall of holy energy trapped him in a 2 meter wide bubble.

Izayoi would glance at Sesshoumaru every so often in concern when the demon child would test the barrier and hiss at getting singed.

"Do you really think he's old enough for this type of training?" The human woman asked her fellow female.

"Sesshoumaru-chan will eventually need to know the bite of holy power. Why not now when we have such an 'impressive' holy person around to teach him." The royal sipped her tea.

"I hear the mocking in your tone Inukimi!" Kazuo shouted without anger.

A smirk graced the Lady's features. "Just making sure your human ears have not deteriorated from old age yet Kazuo."

"Mama! When can Maru-chan come out to play?" A little Kagome asked.

The Lady of the West was the one to answer. "When he finds the weakness in the barrier. And with his senses. Not by poking at every inch of it hoping his finger doesn't fall off."

The heir currently was licking his wounded hand, having just poked the barrier but quickly brought it down to his side at his Mother's words.

"Aww but then we'll be here forever!" Sesshoumaru scowled at the girl as she finished her wreath of flowers.

"Can I give this to Maru-chan?"

"You can. But you know he doesn't like them right?" Izayoi patted the little girl on the head.

"But he looks so pwetty with them! I'll just keep on giving him some until he gives up!"

"Well, you'll have to wait til the barrier drops. You can't pass right now..." Izayoi trailed off as Kagome skipped to Sesshoumaru, right past the barrier, and placed the wreath on his head before darting away to avoid his predictable swats. The flower arrangement was too big so it hung around his neck. Shock painted Izayoi's features while amusement graced Inukimi's. Whether it was at Kagome's easy passage in and out of the barrier or at the twitching eye of her son, only the Lady knew.

"Looks like little Kagome-chan abilities have finally started to show themselves Kazuo."

The priest gave a chuckle. "That's my girl!"


	3. Chapter 3

*A year later*

Sesshoumaru's eye twitched. "What?"

Kagome stared hard at the demon child before raising up on her toes. "Did Maru-chan get taller?"

"It's Sesshoumaru-sama to you," hissed the youth as his eyes glanced around at the other attendees.

A small gathering of nobles and leaders stood chatting at a beachside castle. Dressed in fine attire and mingling, it looked like a cross between a tea party and a drinking party. The location of said party changed annually, and this year's meeting was held on the southern most tip of Japan. It was meant to promote peace and nurture relations between territories, but no house left their castle unguarded.

"Where's Maru-chan's mama?" Kagome swung her head around to look for the regal female.

"Inukimi is at home taking care of our affairs. It's just me and Sesshoumaru today," Inutaisho said as he moved to ruffle his son's hair. The boy moved out of the way before that could happen and scowled at his father.

Izayoi stepped up to stand beside the girl. "Kagome's not wrong. Sesshoumaru-kun does look like he's grown. I'm slightly surprised since he's looked the same since Kagome's infancy."

"Ah yes. My boy's about to be 62 this winter. That's when most inu youkai males hit their second growth spurt. He's going to turn into an awkward, gangly youth with a baby face soon enough."

"Nooo! I wanna be taller too!" Pouted the little girl. Inutaisho patted Kagome on the head, throwing his son a look that seemed to say, 'Look, she let's me pat her on the head. Why can't you be cute like her.' "You'll get there soon enough Kagome-chan. How old are you now?"

The human held up ten fingers to illustrate.

"Oh my! You don't look a day over 5. Your parents' genes are strong in you." Strong holy people were known to have longer lifespans than the average human. The dog general turned towards Izayoi. "How is Kazuo doing?"

"He's so busy nowadays. I feel like I have to pray to the gods to get any alone time with him," the woman almost whined. "He really wanted to come himself but some of the daimyo are complaining so he's hearing them out. That's why little Kagome's here."

"Yeah! I repair-ra-sent the holy people!" Kagome announced proudly. Several heads turned towards the loud child, and Kagome shrunk a little with a blush.

"And you are a fine example of a miko of peace, Kagome-chan." The old dog sent her a warm smile and Kagome blushed again while grabbing a distracted Sesshoumaru's hand.

The demon boy didn't look at the girl but gave half hearted tugs to free his hand. He was currently glaring at a pubescent cat demon who kept making faces at him while the feline's mother turned a blind eye.

"Come, Izayoi," Inutaisho linked arms with the woman. "Let us mingle."

The woman whispered, "Kazuo is so much better at these social gatherings."

"You're doing well, a fine representative of the human race. Kagome-chan is doing well for her first time here too." The pair reached a small group of beings and began small talk while Kagome dragged Sesshoumaru over to a fox hanyou child and a son of some influential human family playing kemari.

"Oh Izayoi-sama, so glad that you can make it today. I almost thought nobody would come from your lands with the rumors of….unrest."

Izayoi waved off the comment. "It is not so serious as you make it sound. Just some minor border disagreements between a few daimyo in our territory. Kazuo is a good mediator. Let's talk about something more interesting. I LOVE your kimono. From whom did you commission it?"


End file.
